Lessons in Living

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Why Don’t We Get It?

In his inaugural speech today, President Trump quoted from Psalm 133: How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in harmony! He went on to say,”We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity.” Read that sentence again…”We must speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly, but always pursue solidarity.”

And yet, out on the streets, some of these same people he was talking to and about were pursuing violent protests, having no interest whatsoever in solidarity. They were smashing shop windows, causing havoc in whatever way they could. What gives them the right to do that? What are they thinking?

And yet, who are we to talk? Does not this same thing go on within our own borders and indeed, our own walls? Do we speak our minds openly, debate our disagreements honestly or even think of pursuing solidarity, togetherness, peace, harmony, unity; whatever it takes to make our world a better place? Unfortunately, all too often the answer is…not really.

It came to me today that whoever would not watch and listen to the upcoming inauguration with an open mind would be missing something. And then it came to me that whoever does not live life with an open mind would be missing even more.

How good and pleasant it is when God’s people live together in harmony! Why don’t we get it?

Solidarity. In 1980, the Solidarity Union in Poland had no political power, no economic power, no military power. The Solidarity Union had moral power founded on human dignity. They pledged their loyalty to one another and set their Soviet, communist, puppet government back on its haunches with only Solidarity.

Their brand of Solidarity came from the writings of Pope John Paul II. It held that human dignity is best preserved and human flourishing best promoted when all segments of society work in unison toward these ends in Solidarity.

Government cannot pursue only its own objectives.

Business cannot pursue only its own objectives

Labor cannot pursue only its own objectives.

Humans flourish best when all strive in Solidarity toward “the common good”.